How to delete your Facebook account permanently

SCARED of fake news? Worried about last year’s huge Facebook hack? Hiding from your boss? Or simply fed up of baby photos? Whatever your reason for wanting to delete Facebook, we’re here to help.
Whether you want to delete your Facebook account permanently, or deactivate Facebook temporarily, here is a step-by-step guide to getting rid of the popular social network.
Fully updated for 2019, we’ll explain the easiest way to delete Facebook, providing you with all the information you need to complete the process in just a few moments.
Getty Images – Getty Fed up with Facebook stalking, or simply fancy an online cleanse? Here’s what to do
Deleting vs deactivating Facebook – what’s the difference?
Deactivation is generally the way to go if you’re just looking for a break from Facebook.
Maybe you’ve got an important job interview coming up, or you want to do a social media detox.
The important thing is that you can get back into your account if you eventually change your mind.
According to Facebook’s official guidance, deactivation means:

You can reactivate your account whenever you like
People won’t be able to see your timeline, or search for your profile
Some info will remain visible, like messages you’ve sent to other users

Deletion is a much more serious process, and will permanently scrub your entire Facebook existence from the company’s servers.
It may be what you’re looking for if the latest Facebook hack has left you worried about the safety of your info.
When you delete your Facebook account, it means:

You can’t regain access once the account is deleted
Deletion is delayed for a few days after the request. Your deletion request will be cancelled if you log back in during this time
It can take up to 90 days for Facebook to delete your data stored in backup systems. Your info won’t be accessible on Facebook during this time
Some things aren’t stored in your account. This means some friends might have messages from you, even after your account is deleted
Some materials (like Facebook’s own log records) may be retained in Facebook’s databases, but they’ll be disassociated from personal identifiers (like your name)

Once your Facebook account is deleted, it’s gone forever – so have a long, hard think about it before you close your Facebook profile for good.
Alamy Deactivating your account and permanently deleting Facebook are two very different things
How to deactivate your Facebook account
Deactivating your Facebook account is easy and takes just a few seconds. Here’s what you need to do.

Log in to your Facebook account
Click the small down arrow located in the upper right-hand corner of your Facebook homepage
Find ‘Settings’ and click on it
Hover over ‘Manage Account’ and click on ‘Edit’
Click on ‘Deactivate your account’ at the bottom of the opened tab
Complete the form and click ‘Deactivate’ at bottom of the page

If you change your mind and want to reactivate your Facebook account, all you have to do is log back into Facebook with your details.
Your profile and account will be restored and you will not have lost anything.
How to delete a Facebook account permanently
If you want to permanently delete Facebook, the social network has a page dedicated to the process.
There is no going back from permanently deleting Facebook though, so it is a good idea to back up all of your data first.
This means that if you decide you want Facebook back in the future, you will not have lost all of your photos, contacts, and other information.
Follow these easy steps to download your Facebook data.

Click the down arrow at the top right of any Facebook page and select Settings
Click “Download a copy of your Facebook data” at the bottom of the General Account Settings
Click Start My Archive

To delete Facebook once and for all, simply head over to Facebook’s ‘Delete Account’ page and follow the instructions provided.
PicturedFOLD ON A MINUTE Foldable iPhone ‘revealed’ with stunning 3D designs of FIRST ‘iPad phone’ DIRTY TRICKS Pornhub warning as ‘FAKE sex videos’ let hackers scam 110,000 users a year CORE OF THE PROBLEM? Apple engineer says pressure to design iPhone is reason I’m divorced RevealedBUGGED! Huge WhatsApp flaw lets ANYONE bypass your Face ID or Touch ID iPhone lock MOBILE MADNESS Samsung wants £1,800 for the Galaxy Fold – here’s what else you could get Hot DealsGREAT CALL Amazing Vodafone deal gets you 100GB of monthly data for just £20
Your archive will probably be very large, as it includes posts, comments, photos, messages, and much more.
Because this download includes all of your profile information, it’s important to keep it secure, as it could potentially be used by fraudsters if it fell into the wrong hands.
You can find a full list of the information available to download on Facebook’s FAQ page.

We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368 . We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.